The mission of the Air Force is like a highly complex machine. Each piece of the machine is vital to it operating successfully. The E-9A Widget is a very small, yet highly important piece to that machine.

Arnold Engineering Development Complex engineers at the National Full Scale Aerodynamics Complex assisted in recent testing of sub-scale parachutes for the next mission of the Orion spacecraft, Exploration Mission-1.

Cubic Worldwide Technical Services, a Mission Support Services subsidiary of Cubic Corporation has been awarded a contract for nearly $134 million for the base period and option years from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division based in Orlando, Fla. CWTS is a leading provider of instructional support services for the Navy and…

Science Applications International Corporation has been awarded a prime contract by Sandia National Laboratories to provide mission computing and information technology services in support of the Department of Energy. The single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has five-year base period of performance, one two-year option, and a total contract value of approximately $228 million, if the option…

Real-Time Innovations, the real-time infrastructure software company, today announced that Embraer Defense and Security has selected Connextô DDS (Data Distribution Service) for the software development of its KC-390 military transport aircraft mission computer. With this announcement, RTI also expands its presence into South America. RTI is honored that Embraer has selected our Connext DDS solution…

Following flight testing at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Ariz., the Mast Mounted Sight-Diode Pumped Laser Rangefinder/Designator developed by Northrop Grumman) and partner DRS Technologies successfully demonstrated its capabilities for the U.S. Army. The MMS-DP LRF/D is designed as a drop-in replacement for the legacy MMS LRF/D, which was also produced by Northrop Grumman….

Raytheon successfully demonstrated a new integrated fuel system for the company’s extended range version of the Joint Standoff Weapon. During the test, a new production representative tactical fuel tank and fuel delivery system were integrated with the TJ-150 turbojet engine on a modified JSOW C-1 air vehicle. The functional ground test verified the end-to-end operations…

U.S. fighter crashes in Gulf; crew rescued The U.S. Navy says a fighter jet has crashed into the Persian Gulf near the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, but both crew members were rescued safely by divers. The Navy cited engine failure on the F/A-18F Super Hornet as the reason for the April 8 crash….

News Pentagon’s $526.6 billion budget asks Congress for unpopular cuts The Pentagon unveiled a $526.6 billion budget April 10 that calls for base closures, program cancellations and smaller pay increases, but which is still $52 billion higher than spending caps set by law, putting the department on a path toward another year of financial uncertainty….

Emphasizing that a nation’s budget reflects its core priorities, a senior Veterans Affairs Department official said the proposed 10 percent fiscal year 2014 budget increase for VA and the fact that the department is specifically sheltered from sequestration demonstrate America’s unwavering commitment to its veterans. Tommy Sowers, assistant VA secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs,…

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NASA Image of the Day

Pushing the Boundaries of Propelling Deep Space Missions

Engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center are advancing the propulsion system that will propel the first ever mission to redirect an asteroid for astronauts to explore in the 2020s. NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission will test a number of new capabilities, like advanced Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP), needed for future astronaut expeditions into deep space, including to Mars.
The Hall thruster is part of an SEP system that uses 10 times less propellant than equivalent chemical rockets. In a recent test, engineers from Glenn and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, using a Glenn vacuum chamber to simulate the space environment, successfully tested a new, higher power Hall thruster design, which is more efficient and has longer life. “We proved that this thruster can process three times the power of previous designs and increase efficiency by 50 percent,” said Dan Herman, Electric Propulsion Subsystem lead.
Hall thrusters trap electrons in a magnetic field and use them to ionize the onboard propellant. The magnetic field also generates an electric field that accelerates the charged ions creating an exhaust plume of plasma that pushes the spacecraft forward. This method delivers cost-effective, safe and highly efficient in-space propulsion for long duration missions. In addition to propelling an asteroid mission, this new thruster could be used to send large amounts of cargo, habitats and other architectures in support of human missions to Mars.
Image Credit: NASA
Michelle M. Murphy (Wyle Information Systems, LLC) Read More

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